Layer 1
A blockchain's base protocol — the settlement layer that provides finality, security, and its native asset.
Layer 1 (L1) is the core blockchain itself: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana. It settles transactions, secures the ledger with its consensus mechanism, and issues the native coin used for fees and staking.
Why layer count matters
Comparisons of “blockchain speed” usually forget that Layer 1s and Layer 2s solve different problems. The L1’s job is security and finality; scaling is increasingly pushed to layers on top. Measuring just raw TPS obscures which layer you’re actually counting.
Decentralization at the base
If the Layer 1 is overrun by a handful of validators, everything built on it inherits that weakness. W3D audits every chain at its base layer — nodes, stake, clients, and governance — before anything else.
Related terms
Layer 2, Consensus Mechanism, Node, Gas Fees, Blockchain